Refuge (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Maitreya Instituut, Holland 1990 (Archive #375)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings during a refuge ceremony at Maitreya Instituut, Holland, in August 1990.

Learn more about refuge in Refuge in the Three Jewels, the seventh module of FPMT's Discovering Buddhism at Home. Refuge in the Three Jewels, a booklet compiled on the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is also available from FPMT Foundation Store.    

Refuge Ceremony, continued; Dedications

…not criticizing them, this is bad and good, Buddha's holy body there's bad and good. Buddha's holy body doesn't have bad and good, there's no ugliness, but the person's art has bad and good, so one should judge the person's art, not the holy body. Buddha's holy body has all the beauties, so one cannot say this statue is bad, the other one is good. So good one is okay, but you cannot say this statue is ugly or things like that, but one can say the art is no good, person's art is no good, one can explain like that.

Then, so treating the statues as material, not respecting them, not having respect, whether it is selling or whether it is using as a deposit or something like that, so if one treat them as material then again this is disrespect. However, to abandon these things and by practicing refuge to Dharma, what one should abandon is giving harm other sentient beings. So one should abandon as much as possible, by remembering the refuge practice, and then, by taking refuge to Dharma, what one should practice is, even one piece of text, even one page from Dharma book, you see on the floor or in the garbage, then you take it and then think, This is the actual Dharma that which reveals the path, which frees me from all the suffering of samsara, mistakes of the mind, so then by thinking that then you put on a high, clean place. So if there are many and you can't, there's no place to keep them, last thing is on the roof or somewhere clean place, high clean place then you burn with om ah hung. In this way you don't create negative karma and other sentient beings do not create negative karma by being in the garbage or on the floor, things like that.

Then, by taking refuge to Sangha, what one should abandon is following the wrong guide. So who mislead, in other words who leads in the wrong path. So, if one follow this wrong guide then Sangha cannot guide, so like that. So therefore one should abandon following the wrong guide, in order to be guided by Sangha.

And, then what one should practice is, any time when one see ordained person yellow or red, any of these colors, anybody that one see, one should remember that this is my guide, who frees me from samsara, this is my guide, like that. And even, then respecting even the robes, so in the past the Kadampa lamas, lineage lamas of lam-rim who achieved enlightenment, they, if a piece of robe they see in the road, then they pick up and put on the crown and remember the quality of the sangha, living in the morality and so forth, remember the quality then one put in a high, clean place, even a piece of robes, and they accumulate so much merit. So respecting, not stepping over the robes, respecting. Then, so if it is in the road or something then rather than stepping over then putting in a high, clean place.

Then there are six or seven general practices of refuge. In the morning, when you get up in the morning you do three prostrations to Buddha. And then when you go to bed, three prostrations to Buddha. Then whenever you eat or drink you have to offer Buddha first, then you take it. So there are prayers which you can recite and that you dedicate the merits [pause], you can dedicate the merits, certain prayers that you can dedicate the merits accumulated by making offering to Buddha. So one can visualize Buddha in the heart then you offer before you eat, and also while you are eating you can visualize offering to Buddha. So this way every spoon of food or drop of tea or water, the mouthful, it becomes good karma, accumulating inconceivable merit. Then, one make offering, whenever one eat, drink, make offering to Buddha first.

Then, practicing compassion with sentient beings as much as possible. Then, relying upon the holy beings. So if one rely upon the holy beings, then one become a holy being. So this is one very, very, very important thing. What you become, what kind of your life become, bad or good, whatever it becomes, depends on the example that whom one rely upon. So here, if one rely upon the holy beings then you become a holy being. Take that example and then you become holy being, so rely upon the holy being.

[pause]

Then, taking the vows as one can, which means like Eight Mahayana Precepts, taking those as one can or even the lifetime vows, now taking one, two, three, like that, so in the future taking more, like that, or if that's not possible lifetime vow, more, then Eight Mahayana Precepts, one-day precepts. [pause]

Then, controlling the mind as much as possible. So when there's difficult conditions, to rise anger, difficult conditions with people, that time trying to control the mind, to not rise anger, so trying to develop good heart.

So, like this, I think maybe happen about six.

Then, to listen to Dharma again and again, as one can. So, like that. So, seven general practices, common practices. So now all these things are Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's method, in the daily life, for example, when you eat and drink, making offerings, so this is what we do every day eat and drink, so, by the way it's the way Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's skillful means to guide us to happiness and liberation, enlightenment, because Guru Shakyamuni Buddha normally every day what we do that action itself, even we don't do other more additional things, more traditional, more additional things, but what we do everyday life, that itself try to become Dharma, that itself use for purification, what we do normally daily life itself method to accumulate extensive merit, so in other words eating itself to become purification, eating itself to accumulate infinite merit, like that. So this is Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's very skillful means, normally what we do in the life itself, the action itself, transform. So main point is to accumulate extensive merit so that we can achieve quickly the path and achieve enlightenment soon. That's the whole point.

Then also, respecting the holy objects, those things, same, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's skillful means, instruction in everyday life, the sentient beings to not create very heavy obstacles for success, here in the sense, happiness of future life, liberation, enlightenment. So, for example, by meeting the two atoms then it becomes something else, it produces a power, some other power. So like that, so, those holy objects and one's own disrespect then it becomes negative karma, when disrespect happens to these holy objects. So it's Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's most skillful means of protecting our mind, life, to not create obstacles for the mind, for the life, for the practice.

So, then please rejoice [pause]. So by taking these vows, one vow, two vows, how many vows that one has taken, so by taking refuge vow to Dharma, to not give harm others, so anyway, as number of vows that one has taken, negative karma to not do, to not do negative karma, so, starting from the family or Dharma center, from here, the people around you, first of all they don't receive, that much harm become less. Then, now the whole people in the country receive less harm from you. Then all the sentient beings receive less harm from you, doesn't receive harm killing, stealing, so forth, as you have taken vow. All sentient beings, harm what they receive from you, that much become less, so that is peace for them, that is peace for the sentient beings, so that means you are giving this peace, by living in the vow, you are giving that many peace to the family, to the Dharma center people, from there to all sentient beings. So, this one is taking the vow, living is this, is the real, practical contribution to the world peace. So from now on, every day, every minute, hour, every day we are giving that contribution, the real, practical contribution to the world peace. Even we didn't join the meetings, hundreds of thousands of people meeting, but everyday life at one's own home, we are giving most practical contribution of the world peace.

Yeah, then, please dedicate the merit. Due to all the past, present, future merit that I have accumulated this time by taking vow and also other sentient beings, due to all these vows, due to all this merit, may the pratimoksha morality be completed without mistake, without pride, without degeneration.

Then, dedicate for bodhicitta, altruism, to achieve in this very lifetime without delay and those to be developed those who have generated.

Then due to all these merits, accumulated by me and by others, which are empty, and may empty I achieve the empty enlightenment and lead the empty sentient beings to empty enlightenment, empty in the sense what appears real, all this for us, in the heart one should think that they are empty, what appears is false, so that way dedicate the merits.

Then, due to all these merits, may my family and enemy, friend, stranger, all sentient beings, to be guided by Lama Tsong Khapa being direct guru in all the lifetimes and to never be separated away from the path, the pure path that is admired by all the Buddhas.

And due to all these three time merits accumulated by me and by others, in all my lives, myself, all sentient beings in all my lives able to practice to never rise thought of mistakes towards the virtuous friend and to do only action pleasing from now on, from this second, up to the enlightenment.

So that is the prayer because it is the basis for all the realizations. That is the basis, root, for all the realizations. Without that then realization doesn't happen, liberation, enlightenment.

Now, dedicate, due to all the merits by taking vow, in all the lifetimes may I be able to benefit for all sentient beings, like Lama Tsong Khapa, Shakyamuni Buddha, like the Medicine Buddha, like Tara, like the Long-life Buddha, Infinite Light Buddha, like Manjushri, Chenrezig, Vajrapani, to be able to benefit like them for all sentient beings, in all the lifetimes, able to do extensive benefits, whatever the sentient beings want, need, able to help, according to their level of mind, karma, able to help, without any difficulties, without any obstacles, all this includes also healing, many other activities.

Due to all these merits may any sentient being who hears me, who touches me, who remembers me, who talks about me, whether praise or criticism, whatever, who talks about me, who thinks about me, just by that, may all their sufferings be pacified immediately and may they achieve happiness, all the happiness, especially enlightenment, one dedicate this.

As the three time Buddhas dedicate their merit, I will dedicate all my merit in the best way to quickly enlighten all sentient beings.

Then due to all these merits may all the centers, all the students, them to be able to actualize the path that is revealed by Lama Tsong Khapa, unmistaken pure path that is revealed by Lama Tsong Khapa, unification of sutra and tantra, and able to actualize in this lifetime, and able to spread in the minds of all sentient beings, like sun rising on this earth, and to receive all the necessary conditions.

And dedicate the merits for, who is the leader of the peace and happiness of us, all sentient beings, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all other holy beings, and how many virtuous friends one has, then all them to have stable life and all their holy wishes to be succeeded immediately and in all the lifetimes until I achieve enlightenment, may I accomplish all their holy wishes immediately, all their holy wishes to be accomplished by me immediately, in all the lifetimes up to enlightenment.

This is also one important prayer, dedication. So depending on how much one is able to do that, then the success comes, then one can succeed in the life that much, that is the best cause of success.

So usually when we dedicate the merits, end of the day when we dedicate merit if you can dedicate like this, when we, so it's very good.

So then, please make three prostrations, same as, three prostrations once like before.

Okay, so thank you very, very much.